The Pokémon Company has confirmed that they are investigating Palworld for any possible infringement on their intellectual property rights.
Palworld has taken over the entire world by storm after its record-breaking launch. The game broke multiple records on Steam, also becoming one of the fastest-selling games on the platform.
Being referred to as ‘Pokemon with guns’ by many, the smash hit game features players gathering resources and crafting weapons, bases, and other items while catching Pals in an open world.
Palworld has seen incredible success since going live in Early Access on PC and Xbox on Friday and sold over 8 million units in only five days. However, the game’s success has generated controversy because of perceived similarities between the game’s character designs and those from the Pokémon games.
Earlier today, the Pokémon Company broke its silence and addressed the controversy on its website. While the company did not mention Palworld, they stated “another company’s game released in January 2024” on the website.
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The Pokemon Company Inquiring Palworld
On Thursday, The Pokemon Company addressed the Palworld situation after the controversy surrounding the game blew up on Social Media. The company released a statement confirming that they intend to investigate if Palworld infringed on its IP rights.
We have received many inquiries regarding another company’s game released in January 2024. We have not granted any permission for the use of Pokémon intellectual property or assets in that game. We intend to investigate and take appropriate measures to address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights related to the Pokémon. We will continue to cherish and nurture each and every Pokémon and its world, and work to bring the world together through Pokémon in the future.
The Pokemon Company
Palworld’s gameplay greatly differs from Nintendo’s Pokémon series. Still, there has been much discussion on social media about how much the game’s character designs reference Pokémon and whether or not this qualifies as plagiarism.
Although Pal models resemble many of the Pokemon models—in some cases, uncannily so—Palworld’s Director Takuro Mizobe made a statement on X refuted any claims of direct cloning, calling such allegations “slanderous.”
Palworld developers Pocket Pair have not made any public statements, and time will tell what The Pokemon Company can come up with after investigating the matter.
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